Father and Son
by astridelta
Summary: Sasuke has finally met the former Hokage of Konoha...what does he ask of Minato that causes him to rethink everything he had ever considered to be true? Don't read if you haven't read chapters 619-627 of the Naruto manga. Oneshot


Just a quick one-shot I thought of while reading chapters 618 and on of Naruto Shippuden. Don't read this if you haven't read at least chapter 618!

* * *

Sasuke couldn't believe it. Here, standing right in front of him, were the four former Hokage. Here, in this dim room hidden to all but those who possessed his family's eyes, were the most powerful shinobi of all time. His onyx eyes trailed over the aged Third Hokage, and despite his better judgement, a wave of hatred crashed through him at the old man's presence.

"This is...the First Hokage..." Suigetsu whispered from his place behind Orochimaru. "The man who was said to be the God of Shinobi, the real Hashirama..." The man that Suigetsu spoke of looked up, his unnaturally black irises blinking and revealing the small yellow pupils that now filled them. The Second's white hair shifted, and Sasuke watched as he too lifted his gaze, red pupils landing on the Snake Sannin. "This Orochimaru guy again...!" The First glanced over to his brother. "What do you mean?" The raven asked, and Sasuke recalled how Orochimaru had tried to summon the first two Hokage against the Third during the Chūnin exams.

"He probably removed the seal of the Shikifuujin.." The Third muttered, glancing over at his superiors. "...That was trapping us. And then he used us for Edo Tensei..." The Fourth looked up then, and Sasuke was taken aback at how familiar the man seemed to appear, despite the Uchiha having never seen him in person. Just in history books when he was a student at the Academy. "Did he manage..to remove that seal...?" The blonde asked, voice riddled with amazement. "Orochimaru-san...how did you do it?" There was a slight rustling as Orochimaru stood up straight. "You're underestimating me, Minato," the Sannin chuckled.

Sasuke's mind drifted as Orochimaru explained what he had done. Why did Minato look and sound like someone he knew? And there was only one other bright haired blonde that Sasuke knew, there could be no mistake in this..."First..." The Fourth murmured, breaking Sasuke from his musing. "It looks like we were resuscitated*..." The First bent forward, placing his hands on his knees, and the Second crossed his arms and glared at Minato. "Uh!? Who are you?" The First asked in surprise, and the Third glanced over in shock. Minato turned, showing the back of his flame-embroidered cloak and pointing to it with his thumbs.

"The Fourth Hokage," the blonde stated proudly. "Ooh! A Fourth!" The First exclaimed happily. What was wrong with this guy? He's supposed to be the "God of Shinobi", but he was acting like some little kid...Sasuke's mind drifted off again, ignoring the Hokages' interactions as he contemplated how Minato could be so familiar. Surely Naruto had no relation to him, right? The Uchiha looked to the First as he stepped forward. "Uhm! I see! So the village has been stable for a long time," the raven said happily. "Eehm...I'm not really sure whether the village is stable or not," Minato said sheepishly. "I actually died before the Third and Orochimaru-san were sealed." A shocked expression crossed Hashirama's face, and Sasuke felt boredom itch at his concentration during the conversation. "Uh!? Really!? So you weren't sealed together with Sarutobi?" The First asked.

Minato looked embarrassed as he scratched at the back of his head. A flashback of a thirteen year old Naruto preforming the same action crossed Sasuke's mind. "Who is the Fifth then?" Hashirama then questioned. Orochimaru stepped forward. "Your granddaughter, Princess Tsunade," the Sannin explained. The First's composure instantly fell, and a doomed aura surrounded the man. _What the hell_, Sasuke thought in annoyance. "...Tsuna...? Is the village..all right...?" Minato turned to face the First fully. "Er...are you worried?" The blonde asked hesitantly. Then the First stood straight, depression erased from his expression as he began to laugh loudly. "I really spoiled her, since she was my first granddaughter!" Hashirama explained happily. "She even learned gambling from me, that was just...!" The First's boisterous laughter filled the room. Sasuke paid no attention to the man once more while he stared at Minato. There was something about that man, something that Sasuke couldn't ignore that reminded him of Naruto..._  
_

"..I simply wanted to create an occasion for him to talk about his strong wish." Sasuke looked up as Orochimaru gestured towards himself and noticed the attention of the Hokage on himself. Stepping forward, Sasuke breathed deeply and opened his eyes. "I'm Sasuke Uchiha," he stated clearly. "There is something I want to ask you..."

* * *

To say Sasuke was stunned would have been an understatement. After hearing what Hashirama and Tobirama had said about the Uchiha clan, Madara's plan to eradicate the village, and finally understanding what a shinobi was all about...he felt nothing but dull acceptance as he told the four former gods of shinobi before him what Madara planned to do. "What my brother...Madara's brother..and you..tried to protect...everything will turn to nothing," Sasuke whispered, and a shocked expression flitted across Minato's face as Orochimaru glanced down at the young Uchiha. "My brother was the one." The raven began, "..Who inherited your will, Hashirama, despite never having heard about it from you..." The First watched Sasuke intently as he continued to speak. "He endured far more than you did. And he died proud of being a Shinobi of the Leaf..." Sasuke smirked as he realized something. "It's ironic that in the end...the shinobi that understood you the most was an Uchiha."

The First remained silent as his expression darkened. "It's not only your brother," Tobirama said and stepped forward. "Even among my subordinates there was a man like him, Kagami Uchiha." Sasuke looked towards the white-haired man, distrust poking at his consciousness. "...Second...didn't you hate Uchiha?" The raven asked stiffly. "Not exactly.." The Second replied. "I simply thought we had to be careful of clans that pose a danger to the village. The Uchiha clan was indeed especially worthy of mention..." Tobirama's eyes narrowed. "But it's also true that they were very devoted. There were also many, like your brother and Kagami Uchiha...that surpassed the boundries of the clan and did a lot for the village." Tobirama took in a deep breath. "My brother thought that the village was something that would demolish the boundaries between clans. Well, in the end it wasn't that simple...

"My brother was too soft..." As Tobirama said this, Hashirama looked to his brother with an annoyed and hurt pout on his face. "And Madara Uchiha too dangerous...my role as Second Hokage was to mediate between them while protecting and reinforcing the village." Sasuke remained quiet as he contemplated what the white haired man had said, staring at him and trying to reveal nothing of what he felt on his features. "...Kagami Uchiha's son was Shisui Uchiha," the Third added in suddenly. "He was your brother's friend. Like me...many people inherited the Will of Fire from the First." The Third's gaze turned downcast. "But maybe I was the most indulgent of them all...I wasn't able to continue the Second's work properly. For that reason, I let Danzou...handle the darkness of the village..." Sasuke allowed a glare to set on the Third. "...I killed Danzou too for my revenge..." The Uchiha murmured.

"Though in the end..he declared that he'd use any means to protect the village..." The Third's sorrowful gaze set on Sasuke's face. "It seems that all I did as a Hokage was making mistakes," the old man muttered. "Everything that is currently happening outside is my responsibility..." Sasuke noticed Minato turn to the Third and outstretch his arms. "No...it's not your fault," the blonde said. "You did all you could for the sake of the village." the blonde breathed deeply. "I died when the Kyuubi attacked the village." Sasuke's eyes widened as he suddenly thought of Naruto again. (A/N this is sorta where I divert from the main manga :p) "Fourth," the Uchiha said suddenly, and the blonde looked towards the raven in surprise. "Yes Sasuke?" The Fourth asked and crossed his arms while the other three Hokage turned their attention to him. "...Do you know who Naruto Uzumaki is," Sasuke decided to ask after remaining quiet for a few moments.

Shock was evident in Minato's eyes. "You know him?" the blonde asked. "They were on the same Genin team together," the Third leaned over and murmured to Minato. "...He considers me to be his friend." Minato looked away quickly. "But you do not return the gesture," he replied softly. Sasuke closed his eyes, not wanting to answer the question because truthfully...he had no idea what he would say. Minato chuckled, seemingly sadly as Sasuke opened his eyes once more to meet his glowing eyes. "...Naruto is my son." On the outside, Sasuke remained impassive as he stared at the blonde Hokage, but on the inside surprise and, actually, relief was rolling through him like a tsunami. "What a surprise," Orochimaru stated quietly. Minato glanced at the Sannin. "You didn't know?" the blonde asked, laughing once more.

"I had my guesses...but no, I never knew for sure." "When Minato died, he wanted Naruto to be revered as a hero in the village," the Third said gravely. "Unfortunately, the fear of the Kyuubi was so deeply rooted in the villagers that he was still shunned and despised despite the Fourth's wishes." Minato glanced over at his superior. "What do you mean by that?" He asked quietly, and Sasuke watched intently as the conversation of Naruto's history took place. "Naruto...grew up thinking the village despised him," the old man said. "Minato, you know how Jinchūriki are treated. You saw it first-hand with your own wife..." Minato clenched his fists and Sasuke saw a pained expression cross the blonde's face. "Kushina was right then," he whispered. "...How bad..." The two looked over at Sasuke, and even the raven felt shock at the question that had emitted from his mouth.

"How badly did Naruto suffer," he continued. The Third sighed. "You know Sasuke, that as a child he would pull those pranks and act like an idiot...for attention. The villagers came to the conclusion if they couldn't take their hatred of the Kyuubi that was sealed inside of Naruto out on him, they would ignore him...and perhaps he would go away.

"That was far from the case, as you know. And Naruto easily could have let his hatred of the village- yes, he felt hatred - consume him and he could have..been where you are now." _"Sasuke...our roles could have easily been reversed." _Naruto's words echoed in Sasuke's mind...and he finally understood the meaning of them. "So you are Naruto's father," he finally asked of Minato. "Apparently I am not a good one," the blonde muttered. "...But yes." Looking away, Sasuke thought of the blonde and how alone he had always seemed, even when his own family was still alive and he had no need to pay attention to the kid. The Uchiha slowly felt the realization dawn on him that...Naruto _was_ his friend. And..

He wasn't about to let Naruto save the world alone.


End file.
